News

SPRINGFIELD – State Senator Celina Villanueva has sent a strategic approach to addressing domestic violence, sexual violence, stalking and human trafficking to the governor’s desk, advancing the Family Center Justice Act out of the Senate Saturday.

“For many people who have experienced violence, accessing services is a daunting task, often overwhelming for survivors who need assistance with a range of needs or traumas,” said Villanueva (D-Chicago). “The Family Center Justice Act would help close these gaps in care, ensuring the state, local governments and nonprofits work together to support survivors and provide them with adequate resources.”

A Family Justice Center is a multi-agency, multi-disciplinary service center where public and private agencies assign staff members on a full-time or part-time basis to provide services to survivors of domestic violence, sexual violence, stalking and human trafficking. These centers increase access to services for survivors and their children by reducing the number of times survivors must repeat their accounts and the number of places survivors must go for help. The goal is to ensure families have comprehensive support in one centralized location.

SPRINGFIELD – State Senator Celina Villanueva advanced a proposal out of the Senate Saturday that would implement stricter, mandatory reporting requirements when a patient or client experiences sexual abuse or misconduct perpetrated by a licensed health care professional.

“When a patient or client is assaulted or exploited by the health care professional they entrusted with their safety, it causes severe distress and emotional damage,” said Villanueva (D-Chicago). “Health care professionals take an oath to do no harm, so if they break that oath by violating someone in a vulnerable position, they must be met with full accountability for their actions and blocked from causing more harm.”

Villanueva’s measure comes in response to a series of investigative reports, which uncovered serious misconduct and abuse in Illinois’ health care system. The investigation identified 52 health care workers accused of sexual misconduct who were allowed to continue working at their respective hospitals and facilities.

SPRINGFIELD – Recognizing the importance of reproductive health data privacy for Illinois residents, State Senator Celina Villanueva advanced a measure to directly combat continued attacks on bodily autonomy and keep reproductive data out of the wrong hands.

“The surest way Illinois can protect our residents and their reproductive records is by requiring health information exchanges to implement new policies that keep sensitive information out of bad actors’ hands,” said Villanueva (D-Chicago). “Time and time again, since 2022 when Roe v. Wade was overturned, we have heard the stories of women across the United States living in fear after seeking abortion-related health care. We have a duty to ensure Illinoisans aren’t being persecuted just because their health records ended up in the wrong hands.”

A health information exchange is used to electronically transfer patient medical data, for the use of maintaining medical records or to share among providers, to improve diagnostic efficiency and the overall quality of patient care. To keep abortion records safe, Villanueva’s measure, the Reproductive Health Records Privacy Act, would require health information exchanges to:

SPRINGFIELD – Graduating high school students may soon see more opportunities to attend Illinois’ public colleges and universities, thanks to a measure State Senator Celina Villanueva advanced out of the Senate that would expand in-state tuition rates to any individual who attended an Illinois high school for three years.

“If we want Illinois to be the best place to build a life, we cannot block already vulnerable groups from accessing affordable, quality higher education,” said Villanueva (D-Chicago). “By allowing students who attended an Illinois high school for three years the opportunity to qualify for in-state tuition rates, we are sending a clear message that Illinois’ public higher education system will value equity, ensuring all students have the same opportunities to earn a college degree.”

For the past several years, Illinois lawmakers have voiced concerns with college costs, specifically citing rising in-state tuition that has led to many students taking on more in education-related debt or seeking higher education across state lines. Villanueva recognizes that the continued rising cost of living disproportionately affects low-income families and students participating in Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals – groups that often have to temporarily relocate due to unforeseen circumstances.